Design register
| Period | Reference lineages | National programme | Domestic engineering |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1946–1959 | British carrier, cruiser and destroyer inheritance; Majestic/Colossus, Daring and early frigate designs | Conventional training carriers, escorts and minesweepers | Hull maintenance, local ammunition, improved radar and engineering education |
| 1960s | US Enterprise nuclear-carrier lessons; Long Beach/Bainbridge/Truxtun cruisers; British Valiant and US Permit/Sturgeon submarine lessons; Charles F. Adams and Leander escorts | First domestic SSN in 1966 and nuclear missile cruiser in 1969 | New reactor-qualified hulls and yards under negotiated technology agreements; conventional escort lineage continues separately |
| 1970s–1980s | Commonwealth CVN generation; US supercarrier layouts, then Nimitz lessons; California/Virginia CGNs; Swiftsure and Los Angeles SSN developments; Oliver Hazard Perry frigates | Three major CVNs by 1982, nuclear cruisers/submarines, conventional escort and replenishment fleets | Steam catapults, reinforced flight decks, ocean endurance and national combat-system integration |
| 1990s | MEKO/Anzac frigate lineage; Trafalgar and Los Angeles submarine refinements; Aegis and allied missile-system integration | Balanced air-defence, antisubmarine and littoral forces | Australian/NZ sonar, combat software, Nulka development and improved damage control |
| 2000s | Federation CVNs; F100/Hobart and Type 45 air-defence influences; FREMM antisubmarine frigate options; Virginia/Astute submarine developments; allied amphibious designs | Replacement carrier generation, conventional destroyers/frigates and amphibious support | Licensed subsystems selected by role, national command architecture, quieting and long-distance maintenance support |
| 2010s–2026 | Federation CVN refits; successive national CGN/SSN/SSGN blocks; Hobart/Type 45/FREMM-derived escorts; later Suffren design studies | Mature East/West Fleet system and maritime resource protection | Electrical power and sensor upgrades, modular software and sovereign sustainment; EMALS considered only in later new-build/refit studies |
| Future design pipeline | Type 26/Hunter-derived frigate studies and future large CVN design | Replacement programmes rather than additional commissioned ships in the 2020 inventory | Prototype trials and yard preparation precede entry into fleet counts |
2026 planning inventory
| Category | National establishment | Eastern allocation | Western allocation | Rotation or joint pool |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nuclear carriers | 3 | 1 normally assigned | 1 normally assigned | 1 refit/work-up carrier |
| Nuclear missile cruisers | 24 | 12 | 12 | Drawn from command holdings for carrier groups |
| Nuclear submarines | 60 | 30 | 30 | Readiness managed within command holdings |
| Conventional guided-missile destroyers | 24 | 12 | 12 | Allocation varies with refits |
| Conventional antisubmarine/multirole frigates | 48 | 24 | 24 | Patrol and escort missions |
| Large amphibious ships | 8 | 4 | 4 | 4 LHD and 4 LPD nationally; not additional fleet CVNs |
| Fleet replenishment ships | 12 | 6 | 6 | Replenishment and support |
| Offshore patrol vessels | 30 | 15 | 15 | Resource protection and civil-agency support |
These conventional-support numbers complete the national planning model around the previously established three CVNs, twenty-four CGNs and sixty nuclear submarines. They are force-design establishments, not claims of completed Sea Power units. Nuclear propulsion is used for the principal carrier, cruiser and submarine classes; conventional escorts and support ships retain appropriate propulsion and maintenance arrangements.
Reactor-qualified shipbuilding
Domestic nuclear ships require purpose-designed hulls, trained crews, reactor-certified maintenance capacity and allied technology agreements. Older Daring, Leander or Perry hulls are not casually converted into nuclear cruisers. Sydney and Fremantle provide the primary fleet support systems; forward island ports supply logistics and patrol support rather than duplicating complete reactor overhaul yards.
Carrier aircraft and deck systems
The large CVNs support the Naval Wing. Small helicopter or amphibious carriers do not inherit the same heavy aircraft envelope. Steam catapults belong to the earlier carrier generations; electromagnetic launch systems are later studies. Aircraft mass, approach speed, arresting equipment and deck geometry remain qualification requirements even where the game mod allows wider carrier compatibility.
Historical engineering references
Naval History and Heritage Command Enterprise record: Historical source
Naval History and Heritage Command Long Beach record: Historical source
NAVAIR electromagnetic launch development: Historical source
Postwar models and upgrade blocks
The naval modernisation register details light carriers, large-deck and nuclear generations, missile cruisers, conventional escorts, submarine blocks and amphibious/replenishment support from 1945 through 1989.